Open Question: Can some people live for long periods without food?

There have been reports over the centuries of people living for long periods without food, including stories about Christian saints like St Theresa of Avila, and of contemporary Indian holy men and women. Breatharians also claim to be able to live with little or no food for periods of years. These claims are, of course, dismissed both on grounds of common sense and because they contravene the assumption that living organisms obey standard laws of conservation of energy. But some scientific investigations of people who claim to live without food suggest that strange phenomena are indeed occurring.

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